Devotionals

Rash Judgments

by PamFord Davis 
09/12/19
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Ahoy, Matey!

Movie producers frequently use pirate themes; Captain Hook of Peter Pan and Captain Flint of Treasure Island come to mind. In the era of pirates, ship crew members were judged harshly. If suspected of mutiny, the ship’s captain made them walk the plank.  

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:1-5 NKJV).”

Removing foreign objects from the eye is not easy. Though temporarily painful, it must be done.

At times, Jesus rebuked His Disciples. They learned a lesson about rash judgments. 

“And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.  But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.  And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’

But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them (Luke 9:52b-56a NKJV).”